Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[jimreed2160]

Kreg wins

My second test for the Kreg came up quickly. The table top project is at a point where it needs the bottom frame. BUT the bottom frame is my desk. So today I replaced the bottom frame with a banquet table. The plywood top fit just fine and happens to be EXACTLY the width of the plywood desktop. But the desk needed an upgrade--not enough flat surface. At 48 x 24 inches it is just not deep enough for all of my desk requirements. So I decided to build UP. What I needed first was a riser.

Nature abhors a vacuum just like a woodworker abhors unused cutoffs. I bought a piece of plywood to make my bench wider and accommodate the table top. It was 4 x 4 and I cut a 12" piece from one side. I spied that 48 x 12 cutoff over in the corner and Kreg'ed two three sided boxes on it from a scrap furring strip. This riser now holds the monitor, 2 speakers, and the mahogany pigeon hole box that I have been refurbing. I like it so far and will alter as time goes on. Now I need to get busy and finish the refurb of the box.

The Kreg worked great. I was not sure if I would use it much but it has really come in handy lately. Me like. Thanks to all you Kreg fans who encouraged me to take a leap of faith.

 

[cheechi]

I prefer 'thinner' kerf high tooth count blades for ripping sheets of any kind. Especially subfloor/underlayment or any other kind of osb that you really can't put a nice clean edge on sanding, you want the smoothest cut you can make. Helps as well with getting straight cuts to begin with.

I forget which between the Diablo 40T and Diablo 60T ATB blades are on my table now, but that is my all purpose blade. it's not about the convenience of changing blades. The carbide on them has no issue with something like underlayment, it's mostly glue anyway so its pretty soft. Spray it with boeshield when its needed, no different than any other blade.

It would be different if you were paying $200 for Freud or CMT blades.

 

[chrislehr]

I know yall liked my previous Beall tool buffer post.. so I made that plum vase (the live edge) and then I made a more solid one too. Both got the Beall treatmeant tonight.

 

[chrislehr]

My finish is getting to the point its finer than my photography abilities!

 

[jimreed2160]

Why that is plum purdy!

 

[jimreed2160]

Table project

Now that the top is repaired, it needs to be married to the base. Lots of this work will be done with the top upside down so it is best done before finishing. No need to scratch the top. Here is the base on its way to the shop. Top is cherry and the base is walnut.

 

[Gasgt1]

Interesting that the top and base are 2 different woods.
Does the top seem original to the base?

 

[Gasgt1]

chrislehr:

Nice work with the plum

Plum is beautiful wood.
I try to save it when I find it but it is usually just small irregular pieces.

 

[jimreed2160]

Interesting that the top and base are 2 different woods.
Does the top seem original to the base?

Country cabinetmakers used what they had and walnut and cherry are good companions. The base is old and made with draw bore attached tenons. My guess is that the base was made from 1820-1840. The drawer and the feet have been replaced. I always assumed that the top was also a replacement. As a tavern table or kitchen work table it had a hard life. But the top could be original. The only nails on the frame match the holes in the top.

Antique furniture has always appealed to me. Each piece has history and sometimes mystery.

 

[jimreed2160]

New tool

Well it is too chilly for the shop today but I did get to drop by Lowes. Look what came home with me!

Anything that says "VISE" will get my attention and I am down for any product that will assist. I am sure I will get a chance to try this thing out soon. In the meantime, I am thinking about using the concept to make a taller version in thick plywood.

 

[1Garageman]

^^^^ I have thought about getting one of those, but I just don't think I would use it. Let me know if you like it or not? And if it is sturdy enough to hold wood up like it shows.

 

[chrislehr]

Finished a play project with scrap plywood. Also realigned my lathe’s motor plate, fixed some sheared hinge screws and swapped to a link belt. Much smoother now.

 

[jimreed2160]

I often find myself staring at the edge of plywood. The different layers and even the voids are interesting. Your turning project really highlights those layers. Well done.

 

[rrich1]

1 door is glued and and the other is on clamps. Took some time to get them all cut correctly and cutting the plywood to fit. I didn't pocket hole these like the case sides. These are tongue and groove together. The plan for tomorrow is to plane them to fit in the case and to add the hinges.

Decided to do a black milk paint. I did a test piece of black stain and the poplar still had a greenish tint to it.


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[rrich1]

I got the chance to go to the Lie Nielsen hand tool event in Chicago this past weekend. Spent about 4 hours there. 2.5 hour ride each way and worth it. Learned a lot and ordered a few items [emoji16]. If you have the chance to go I would.

You could test every hand tool that they brought and I tested a lot of them. There are a few veritas tools I prefer over the Lie Nielsen's (shoulder planes for instance). I really liked the size of their chisels. I was already thinking of getting them And now I know I will be.

The low angle 7 1/2 cut so smooth. It is on my radar and significantly cheaper than the regular jointer plane.

The first pic is of a guy from Kentucky. Very nice planes but definitely on the collector price side of things. The wood hand planes were very nice and cut some nice shavings.

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[jimreed2160]

rrich--Your cabinet is looking really nice. Good job. And thanks for the photos from the hand tool event. What a blast that must have been! There is nothing like touching all the planes and seeing them in action. Reminds me of back in the day when my cousin and I attended the large ww shows at World Congress Center in Atlanta--11 miles of woodworking exhibits!!!!

 

[chrislehr]

Ive been to a lie neilson event before and it was too crowded to wait for hands on time when I went. Nice to see that's not always the case!

 

[rrich1]

Doors are on. Still need a little fine tune adjustment. Need to go buy the milk paint tomorrow and order the door handles.

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[ez-duzit]

1--came out very well.

 

[jimreed2160]

rr--That cabinet looks great!

 

[jimreed2160]

Table top

When I found this table back in the 1970s it was in rough shape--especially the top. It was attached with cut nails--about a dozen in all--driven in from the top. Of course, the top could not move and therefore split in multiple places. I was a novice ww at the time and pondered a fix for quite some time. I finally just glued some blocks to the underside to keep it from moving from side to side. It was large enough with a generous overhang and this "temporary" method worked well for over thirty years. That solved another problem by making the table very easy to move around.

I have had almost 50 years to solve this problem and I am still hung up on the blocks because they worked so well. But this time I will add a few "Z" clips. They will make the top more sturdy and are not too hard to remove when I move the table.

So I made some blocks and drilled pilot holes for the screws. I hope the shop warms up a bit this afternoon so I can get them glued to the top. The screws will penetrate only far enough to clamp for glue up. And all screws run with the grain.

 

[jimreed2160]

Z clip time

The shop warmed up to 65 this afternoon so I glued the blocks in place. Later I came back and made the grooves for the "Z" clips. I included a shot of the inside of the pegs. Looks like they were whittled by hand.

It turns out the drawer slides are made from cherry like the top. The biscuit cutter threw out some nice cherry looking shavings. And I could find no marks that did not match the top. So maybe the top is original after all.

Next step is finish for the top. We are having temps in the high 60s so I better jump while I can.

 

[jimreed2160]

Wandering around

So I was wandering around in the box store a few weeks ago and spied a small toolbox for a couple of bucks. It seemed well made so it made the cut and came home with me. I have been looking for a job for it and finally found one.

Fixing the table top required a burn in tool and some sticks. Somewhere along the way I picked up a wood burner tool. It gets too hot for the burn in sticks but does open the way for some wood burning projects. So where to store this stuff that RARELY gets used. Why, the little box, of course!

So now all the burning stuff is packed away in a neat little toolbox. I even labeled it to help my tired memory.

 

[Gasgt1]

A dedicated place for everything

I'm not there yet but it is a goal of mine

 

[jimreed2160]

Spray booth

It is a balmy 69 degrees today with a light breeze--perfect for finish. So I went out to the spray booth and put poly on the table top. The first coat was heavy and took 3/4 of a can. Luckily I have another full can to finish the finish. It needs to dry for 2 hours before I can recoat. That will give me enough time to bring it in before the big chill. We are expecting 55 and rain by morning.

But the best part of this whole deal is that I finally get my benchtop back. I have been missing that work surface. I have already taken off the plywood but somehow the free end filled up with clutter.

 

[jimreed2160]

Pictures

 

[rrich1]

Looks good Jim

Of course these came right before I had to go to work tonight. No play time just got to unbox them.

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[ez-duzit]

Plane ****!

 

[Bob Heine]

Pictures

Jim, is that a Marauder in your driveway?

 

[chrislehr]

Milliput and maple

 

[Gasgt1]

Had to look up Milliput.
That's a new one for me

 

[ScottsGT]

Jim, is that a Marauder in your driveway?

Looks like it to me!

 

[chrislehr]

Had to look up Milliput.

That's a new one for me

Been following jimsons stuff on youtube and he made some neat stuff with it. Basically its modeling clay that hardens to an epoxy. So the bowl had a channel dug out with a parting tool, fill that with your putty. Let dry, return to Lathe. Pretty neat stuff.

 

[jimreed2160]

Jim, is that a Marauder in your driveway?

I thought the Marauder would make a good backdrop for the spraybooth. It only has 85k on the odo and I am owner #3. I mostly drive it like an old man but I do like to squeak a tire when I leave the Publix parking lot.

 

[jimreed2160]

rrich--Those two planes are two of LNs best. Enjoy.

Chris--Nice turning.

 

[jimreed2160]

Table

The tavern table top is drying inside now while I do some work on the drawer. I have always liked the table but this is the first time in 45 years that I can say that I like the top. It is nice to reach a level of skill in ww where my skills match my expectations.

The cherry is phototrophic so it will darken a bit as it ages in a lighted room. I need to keep it out of direct sunlight and keep it moving so the effect is evenly distributed. And it goes without saying that the top is a NO CLUTTER ZONE.

 

[jimreed2160]

Stanley 92

Stanley has a line of shoulder planes, #92, #93, and #94. The large #94 is not made anymore. Production of the #92 and #93 was moved to the UK in the 1980s or 1990s. The heavy nickel plating was outstanding for its brilliance but the quality of those planes was lacking. Sometime around 2010 they brought out a new Sweetheart line and gave these planes an update.

Of course, us collectors and users like the earlier US made planes because they work well. I found one recently and got it today.

It was not photographed well so I took a chance. Often these planes are abused and broken. These are delicate planes used for trimming. They are meant to take wispy shavings with precision. All of the screws should be hand tightened because it makes adjusting easier. But the screws have slots and can be overtightened easily. Well meaning but ham fisted users try to take heavy shavings, notice that the plane parts are moving, and then torque everything back into last week.

Such was the case with this plane. I needed screwdrivers to take it apart. But it was OK. Whew! The only issue is a badly ground blade. I can fix that easily and get this one shaving wisps by tomorrow. It is so nice I might replace my current user 92s.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Jim, that table top came out superb! A million times better than it looked before!

 

[jimreed2160]

Jim, that table top came out superb! A million times better than it looked before!

Thanks for your kind words. For those who missed it, here is a shot of the "before".

 

[jimreed2160]

Whups. That photo was the back--drat those tiny thumbnails! Here is the top.